Page 2425 - Politics
Cong blames Centre for dissolution of J-K assembly
Senior Congress party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for the dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly. However, the senior politician added that they have no complaints against state governor Satya Pal Malik.Speaking to ANI, Azad alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to break the MLAs of other parties over the last five months- ever since they pulled out of the alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)- to form their own government."We do not have any complaints against the Governor. He is a very nice man. We have complaints against the central government that if they had to dissolve the assembly, they should have done it 4-5 months ago when they withdrew support from the PDP. When they (BJP) saw that another government could have been formed, the BJP dissolved the assembly. It is their mentality that only the BJP will form the government and not any other party," the senior Congress leader said.On ...
Mulayam Singh lays emphasis on socialist ideology
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, a day after his birthday, spoke on the importance of socialist ideology and the policies of the Samajwadi Party for the betterment of the society.Addressing the press at his party office in Lucknow on Thursday, he emphasised on understanding the socialist ideology."People should read about socialist ideologies, the party workers shall also work towards spreading awareness about the same. There shall not be any discrimination and all of us shall move forward together," said the former Chief Minister."Uttar Pradesh is a huge state and we are fighting for the backward classes and the poor. We want to work for them, with them," he added.He further spoke about the significance of women and their role in the development of the nation."Samajwadi Party has always given opportunities to women and the poor. Nobody can form a government without the support of women of the country. The party cannot progress without them," Yadav emphasised.He also ...
2019 election not about replacing one government with another: Manish Tewari
The battle for 2019 is not about replacing one government with another, says former Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government Manish Tewari in his new book, and asks whether it will herald the demise of national ethos and the rise of a different vision of India.
WB Assembly passes bill to enable non-elected person to be
The West Bengal Assembly Thursday approved a bill which paved the way for appointment of a person as Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation along with the existing provision that only elected person could occupy the chair. The person, however, after being appointed as Mayor has to get elected as a councillor of KMC within six months of the nomination. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018 was introduced in the state Assembly by Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim. BJP extended support to the Bill which was passed by the voice vote. The Left Front and Congress MLAs were not present in the House as they had earlier decided to boycott the Assembly. The existing law allowed only elected members of the Municipal council to occupy the post of the Mayor. The Amendment to the KMC law was carried by the state government to enlarge the ambit of chosing a person on the important post of Mayor of the city's civic body. Following directions from Chief ...
On his birthday, Mulayam tells SP to aim big in 2019
Openly batting for the party he founded, Mulayam Singh Yadav Thursday asked Samajwadi Party workers to create a situation in which no government can be formed at the Centre without its support. The leader is often seen balancing his relations with son Akhilesh Yadav who now heads the SP and his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, who has floated a rival party. Both parties organised separate events Thursday to mark the patriarch's 79th birthday. "I ask you to fix my programmes at the commissionerate level, I will be there, he told SP office bearers, hinting at his willingness to campaign for the party. I ask you all to take a pledge that in the days to come, besides forming the government in UP, we have to create such a situation in Delhi that no government can be formed without the SP. This is my request to you," he said at the SP headquarters where he also cut a cake. Asking SP workers to adopt the habit of reading and writing, he said, There is collection of my speeches in Lok Sabha and ..
Trouble brews in Kerala unit of JD(S), party president intervenes
Trouble has been brewing in the Kerala unit of the Janata Dal (S) - the third largest ally of the CPM-led government, prompting the party president to intervene.
Kerala CM meets Governor, apprises him of Sabarimala situation
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Thursday met Governor P Sathasivam and briefed him about the issues relating to the Lord Ayyappa temple here. The meeting, which lasted for half-an-hour, assumes significance in the wake of protests launched by main Opposition Congress-led UDF and the BJP over restrictions and prohibitory orders in the temple complex, after it opened for the two-month long annual pilgrim season on November 16. A delegation of the United Democratic Front (UDF), comprising Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Oommen Chandy, had defied the prohibitory orders Tuesday at the base camps at Pamba and Nilackal. BJP state General Secretary K Surendran along with two others had also tried to proceed to the Lord Ayyappa Temple from Nilackal, despite being advised by police personnel against visiting Sabarimala due to law and order issues. They were arrested on November 18. The Governor in a series of tweets said he had invited Vijayan for a discussion on various issues ..
Shatrughan Sinha condemns dissolution of J&K Assembly
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday condemned the dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
Cong mayoral candidate from Kashipur arrested
Congress' mayoral candidate from Kashipur Mukta Singh and her husband Ravindra Singh were arrested Thursday in connection with a dowry harassment case lodged against them by their daughter-in-law, sparking protests by the party which termed the arrest as "politically motivated". Mukta Singh and her husband Ravindra Singh were arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by their daughter-in-law Priyanka on September 28, DSP Rajesh Bhatt said. In the complaint, she accused them and three others, including their son Shashank, of harassing her for dowry, he said, adding that a case under the Dowry Act had been registered against five people. The arrest evoked immediate reaction from the Congress which staged a dharna outside the kotwali in protest terming the arrest as politically motivated. "This is politics of vendetta by the ruling BJP. It has arrested the couple without proper inquiry to malign the Congress," former MP K C Singh Baba who led the protest said. Mukta Singh was Congress'
A day on campaign trail: Mizoram's richest candidate campaigns on foot door-to-door
He is the richest candidate in Mizoram's assembly elections with declared assets of Rs 55 crore, owns a popular football club and has a fleet of luxury cars, but Mizo National Front (MNF) leader Robert Romawia Royte says he wants to keep his electioneering modest with door-to-door campaign on foot. Royte, the main opposition party's candidate from Aizawl East-II constituency in the state, is a first-timer in assembly polls and is fighting from a seat where the ruling Congress has fielded veteran leader and incumbent finance minister Lalsawta. The MNF leader had unsuccessfully fought the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 as an independent candidate. The 51-year old millionaire businessman, who owns Aizawl FC that bagged the I-League title in 2017, says he is following an "eco-friendly" campaign without any hullabaloo or sloganeering. Mizoram will go for polling on November 28 to elect the representatives for the 40-member assembly, while the counting scheduled for December 11. Starting with a ...
J&K assembly dissolution 'murder of democracy': Sharad Yadav
Veteran politician Sharad Yadav Thursday called the dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir assembly a "murder of democracy". J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik abruptly dissolved the state assembly Wednesday night, hours after the PDP staked claim to form a government with backing of the rival NC and the Congress. The state assembly had been put in suspended animation since June 19 after the BJP withdrew from the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government. "Democracy has been murdered in J&K by dissolving the assembly. I oppose and condemn the dissolution," said Yadav, currently heading his political outfit Loktantri Janata Dal, which he formed after parting ways with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led janata Dal (United) in 2016. The seven-term Lok Sabha MP said the governor's action was evidently biased when an alliance of the major parties had staked claim to form the government. Yadav also found fault with the government's decision to hold the urban and rural civic body polls in the ..
J&K Assembly dissolved: Congress targets PM
The Congress on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using Governor Satya Pal Malik to dissolve the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly "illegally and unconstitutionally".
Grand alliance unlikely again in J&K (News Analysis)
The otherwise warring PDP, National Conference and Congress may have tried -- though failed -- to cobble a coalition in Jammu and Kashmir but they are unlikely to come together again.
China says U.S. accusations of unfair trade practices 'groundless'
BEIJING (Reuters) - China rejected fresh U.S. accusations of perpetuating "unfair" trade practices and urged Washington on Thursday to stop making provocations, showing little sign of backing down days ahead a high-stakes meeting between leaders from both countries.
J-K governor dissolved assembly on directions of PM and PMO: Manish Tewari
Congress national spokesperson Manish Tewari condemned Thursday the dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, saying Governor Satyapal Malik acted on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his office. The governor abruptly dissolved the state assembly Wednesday night, hours after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival National Conference (NC) and the Congress. This was followed by another bid by the two-member People's Conference which claimed the support of the BJP and 18 legislators from other parties. "The Jammu and Kashmir governor has played with the Constitution of the country. The act to dissolve the assembly has been taken on the directions of the prime minister and the PMO," Tewari said at a press conference here. He said that the "unethical and unconstitutional" act taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Governor is condemnable.It reflects the mentality of the BJP and its leaders. They can go to any extent to ..
Modi to address polls rallies in Telangana on Nov 27, Dec 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Telangana on November 27 and December 3 to address rallies for the assembly polls, a state BJP leader said Thursday. He, however, said the number of rallies and locations would be finalised soon. "The prime minister is coming on November 27 and December 3," Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao told PTI. BJP national president Amit Shah would participate in the party's campaign on November 25, 27 and 28, Rao said. Shah had kicked off the BJP's campaign with a pubic meeting at Mahabububangar in September and subsequently, addressed two more rallies in the state. The BJP is going alone in the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly.
SAD welcomes Centre's move on Kartarpur corridor (Lead, correcting intro)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday welcomed the Centre's decision to approve construction of a corridor up to the Punjab border to facilitate the journey of pilgrims to the historic Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan.
T'gana polls: Senior Cong leaders meet disgruntled partymen over ticket distribution
Seeking to quell any dissent over ticket distribution for the forthcoming Telangana assembly polls, senior Congress leaders including Ahmed Patel and Jairam Ramesh have been put on job to persuade the disgruntled partymen to work for the party's victory. Patel, accompanied by former union minister S Jaipal Reddy, AICC secretary Madhu Yashki Goud and the party's Telangana unit president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Wednesday night met Bikshapati Yadav who did not get the ticket to contest from the Serilingampalli constituency. Serilingampalli seat has been allotted to TDP as part of the "grand alliance" (comprising Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti) for the elections to take on unitedly against the ruling TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti). Jaipal Reddy told reporters that Serilingampalli has been given to a friendly party and that Yadav would have a bright future in the Congress. Yadav, who had filed his nomination as an independent candidate, told reporters that Patel and other ...
India to open 'Passport Seva Kendras' in each 543 parliamentary constituencies: V K Singh
The Indian government plans to open a 'Passport Seva Kendra' in each of the 543 parliamentary constituencies across the country by March next year to ensure convenient passport services to its people, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said here. The government is trying to ensure that Indian citizens do not face any difficulty in obtaining their passports whether in India or abroad, he said as he launched the 'Passport Seva' programme at India's Consulate here on Wednesday. The 'Passport Seva' programme has brought in a huge transformation towards delivery of passport services in India, Singh said while handing over passports to a few Indian citizens who had used the new programme to renew their passports. "This project will ensure better services for our citizens abroad. It is a service which is truly meant for citizens," he said at the global launch of the programme here. The new system will ensure an easy and convenient application submission process, usher-in ...
Make public reports of horse-trading in govt formation in J-K: Omar to Guv
NC leader Omar Abdullah Thursday asked Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to make public reports about horse-trading in government formation in the state, saying people had a right to know who was buying legislators. His demand came after Malik, defending his decision to dissolve the state assembly, claimed "extensive horse-trading" was going on and it would have been impossible for parties with "opposing political ideologies" to form a stable government. On Wednesday, PDP with the support of the National Conference (NC) and the Congress staked claim for forming government, but their efforts were cut short as Malik decided to dissolve the assembly, which was in suspended animation since June 19. "If the governor has himself accepted that MLAs were being bought over, money was changing hands, people should know who was doing it. If the governor has such reports, he should make them public. "These are not our accusations. It was the governor who said horse-trading was happening .